Talking Your Tech | Staying dry with Jim Cantore

Mar. 6, 2013
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Jim Cantore. / Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY

by Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY

by Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY

ATLANTA - Jim Cantore is the longtime "storm tracker" for the Weather Channel, the man the network sends to duke it out during hurricanes, snowstorms, floods and the like. So we got to wondering: How does he keep his tech devices dry? And what apps does he use for up-to-the-minute weather-related data?

We met up with the meteorologist at Weather Channel headquarters here.

Keeping dry

Cantore says he added a waterproof "dry suit" to his arsenal this year. "I did a shoot in a cold river, and I was in the water submerged, completely dry and warm. You can spend anywhere from $700 to $1,200 (to buy a suit), but when you're wet and uncomfortable, I'd pay $2,000 for one." He also encloses his iPhone 4S in a $39.99 DryCase. "It's something you can actually put your device in, and then pull the air out of it so it's a completely tight waterproof seal. You can play with it just as if it wasn't on there at all."

You can't talk into it once this is done, though; you'll need an earpiece.

Go-to device while covering storms

"Smartphone. I can watch the radar, get stuff off the Internet. It's not like I can be out on the beach and go to my laptop and look up information. I have to have it right on me. So an iPhone, kept dry in the DryCase."

Apps

â?¢ RadarScope ($9.99, iOS, Android). "My favorite app of all time. Some people think it's pricey at $9.99, but i think it's a gift. It's the weatherman's weather app. It's got all the bells and whistles."

â?¢ Navigon ($49.99, iOS, Android) "is my navigation system. It has something on there so it knows when the sun is going down. It turns dark as it really is turning dark. If there are four lanes to get into, it tells you which lane to get into. Knowing where to go to cover the weather is really helpful."